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Weavercraft
Weavercraft is one of the traditional crafts on Pern. Its major crafthall is located in Southern Boll Hold. Description : A detailed description of the Craft on the basis of the The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern The presence of a major Crafthall has an effect on what crops are raised in the Hold. Unlike most Holds, in which food crops take almost absolute precedence over all others during a Pass, Southern Boll raises Earth flax and a Pernese fiber similar to it, sisal, and cotton to trade with the Weavercrafthall. The natural abundance of other food allows the holders to make the choice to grow a fiber crop. The Hall provides employment for a number of Southern Bolls men and women. Flax produces an elegant, crisp cloth that stands up well Turn after Turn. Though it is difficult to make smooth, sisal, when beaten and pulped, makes a silky fabric easy to print or dye that is light enough to be worn in the hottest weather. It can also be woven into nearly invisible sheers. But it is cotton which is in the greatest demand and which is in the shortest supply by the end of every Pass. Cotton, for its tremendous flexibility, is a luxury fiber on Pern. Cotton seed lasts nearly forever in dry climates. The plant likes sand-and-clay soil, so Southern Boll is a very good choice for a source. The colonists kept cotton alive as a species because nothing served so well for wearing against the skin to soak up perspiration, and in layers for warmth. By the first Interval, every scrap of cotton they had with them was in shreds. They grew all they could during the Interval and kept up the custom of stockpiling it throughout the cycles. Silk quickly became a memory, for though the colonists' ova banks contained silkworms, the mulberry bushes that are the worms' only food were not viable on Pern. The Weavercraft trades their goods with High Reaches, Lemos, Bitra, Nabol, and Igen for the long fleece from mountain ovines, as their own ovines, evolved for the warm climate, do not grow thick coats. High Reaches also provides them with llama hair. Holders frequently make use of drop-spindles or spinning wheels in the evening while listening to music or sharing a chat with friends. Part of a dragonrider's evening occupation might be spinning or weaving. Everyone who can is always making thread, as so much of it is needed. During the Intervals, the Masterweaver has a number of students from the Weyrs in his Hall. There are small looms in every Hall, Hold, and Weyr, either for hobby or serious employment. Cloth goods are useful in every occupation. Because the Weavercraft cannot possibly supply every Hold, each makes its own hand looms, crochet hooks, spindles, and shuttles. Since the Weavercraft's goods are not perishable, tremendous stocks can be kept in dry caverns until called for. For every type of fiber, there are different wheels and looms: flax wheels, wool wheels, sisal wheels (very delicate), and cotton wheels of every size and strength, and looms from the very simple to the infinitely complex. As a spinner finishes drawing a spool of thread half as big and fully as heavy as himself, he passes it on to the dyers, who tint and dry it. The Weavercrafthall is famous for certain special dyes whose compositions are considered a deep, dark craft secret. Master Zurg's signature is evident in thread of rich golden, brilliant orange, or special purple hues. Most of the rainbow dyes come from shellfish found off the coast. Once the thread is colored or bleached, it is either covered and stored or passed on to the weavers or knitters. Weavers receive training in making looms and devices for working yarn. A bit of cloth is reserved for very skilled Weavercraft artists who paint the dye directly onto cloth by hand, for one-of-a-kind lengths of fancy fabric. Some of the looms here can be used only by the most talented of weavers. A Master-weaver might make slubbed fabrics like velour, or cotton velvet, or brocades. The skill that produced the brocade looms used to make the famous Fort Hold brocades came from here. Flax, polished cotton, and metal-wrapped threads simulate Earth-made patterned fabrics of silk, examples of which are in the Weavercrafthall museum. Every large Hold has an upright tapestry loom or two, on which are made wall hangings and floor coverings to break up the endless gray of the stone walls. As hardwood for shuttles and spindles was difficult to come by, the weavers first used plastic substitutes until the plastics wore out and the extrusion machines broke down. Then they turned to soapstone and agate, both light enough and easily smoothed into the right shapes. The technology for building the equipment came to Pern with the colonists, who blended together two worlds worth of ancient home crafts. Patterns are simply copied over and over, with pieces being replaced as they wear out. Amerind standing looms, Swedish knitting belts, spindles, embroidery hoops, Centauri braiding trees, frames for slit-work tapestries—all have found favor at different times. The Craft patterns themselves have been passed down, too, from the minds of the dextrous and Craft-minded colonists and the data banks of the ships. Weaving, embroidery, and knitting, significant parts of many Earth cultures' identities, are now forged together as one. Afghans, granny circle blankets, flannels, burlap, and cambric are all the province of the Weavercrafthall. Silk-screening and dye patterns are recorded in the Hall's Archives for students to attempt to copy or to admire for their difficulty. Decorative gloves are made of tatted lace, and even knit lace, made painstakingly from flax or cotton thread, but most everyday gloves are sewn of fine, soft fabrics woven from the neck fleece of young ovines. The Weavercrafthall has an ongoing rivalry with the Tannercrafthall as the fashion enter on Pern. The Mastertailors evolve styles which the cognoscenti copy eagerly, but at which more conservative holders turn up their noses, and individualists ignore. What is «in» this season will be «out» again quickly enough. A native of Southern Boll, Masterweaver Zurg naturally favors the bright colors for which his home Hold is famous. Positions and responsibilities * Weaver — a name for crafters engaged in the manufacture of textile. * Tailor — a name for crafters engaged in sewing. History First Pass / First Interval Last crop at Landing of cotton, that was used after the move north. During the move to the new hold, Mairi, got it out, to helped the gals hurt teams, along sheep skin, And said that they didn't have the big loom set up yet, during the door of Ruatha Hold. First Interval / Second Pass * Craftsmaster: Second Interval / Third Pass * Craftsmaster: Sixth Pass This is were the Fort Hold bloodline pattern came from, very proud of it work on the looms, only * Craftsmaster: Eighth Interval / Ninth Pass By the time of the Ninth Pass, some knowledge had been lost the current Masterweaver, Zurg. While describing a tapestry he had seen at Ruatha Hold, he would note that a particular shade of bronze, used for dragons had been lost. Lytol, Lord Warder of Ruatha came from the Weavercraft, via High Reaches Hold. After the discovery of AIVAS, the Weavercraft benefitted from the discovery of ancient patterns of clothing as well as colorful dyes that had previously been lost. The variety of color and style led many to buy new clothing from the Weavercraft, much of which was seen at Tillek Hold. Several years after AIVAS powered itself down, Joetta replaced Master Zurg, and was mentioned in the Council Meeting at Telgar Hold. * Craftsmasters: Zurg, Joetta. ru:Цех Ткачей Category:All Crafts Category:Weavercraft